* Interviews and extracts placed in major broadsheet weekend supplements * Events in notable Australian libraries * National and local radio interviews e.g. RN Books and Arts * Reviews in major newspapers e.g. Australian, NZ Herald * Review coverage in general publications e.g. Big Issue, Monthly * Wide review coverage in literary press e.g. Lifted Brow, Australian Book Review * Wide online review coverage from book bloggers and special interest websites
Stuart Kells is an author and book-trade historian. His 2015 book, Penguin and the Lane Brothers, won the Ashurst Business Literature Prize. An authority on rare books, he has written and published on many aspects of print culture and the book world. Stuart lives in Melbourne with his family. He is currently writing a book about Shakespeare's library.
‘Libraries are filled with magic. From the Bodleian, the Folger and
the Smithsonian to the fabled libraries of middle earth, Umberto
Eco's mediaeval library labyrinth and libraries dreamed up by John
Donne, Jorge Luis Borges and Carlos Ruiz Zafón. Stuart Kells
explores the bookish places, real and fictitious, that continue to
capture our imaginations. The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders is a
fascinating and engaging exploration of libraries as places of
beauty and wonder. It's a celebration of books as objects and an
account of the deeply personal nature of these hallowed spaces by
one of Australia's leading bibliophiles.’
*Judges' comments*
‘If you think you know what a library is, this marvellously
idiosyncratic book will make you think again. After visiting
hundreds of libraries around the world and in the realm of
imagination, bibliophile and rare-book collector Stuart Kells has
compiled an enchanting compendium of well-told tales and musings
both on the physical and metaphysical dimensions of these
multi-storied places.’
*Age*
‘Almost like poetry, a rich ode to all things books and everything
we love about them. The enjoyment and engagement is so palpable you
can almost taste it and Kells proves to be the perfect guide
through the subject matter and history.’
*AU Review *
‘The Library charts the transition between formats such as papyrus
scrolls, parchment codices, moveable type and ebooks. There are
many whimsical detours along the way, and Kells even devotes a
chapter to fantasy libraries…Kells translates his stunning depth of
research into breezy digestibility.’
*Big Issue *
‘The Library abounds in fascinating tales of lost codices and found
manuscripts, and the sometimes unscrupulous schemes by which people
have conspired to obtain or amass valuable volumes.’
*New York Times*
‘The Library is a treasure trove and reaching the last page simply
prompts an impassioned cry for more of the same.’
*Otago Daily Times *
‘Rich with gossipy tales of the inspired, crazy, brilliant and
terrible people who have founded or encountered libraries through
history…Kells’s reflections are wonderfully romantic, wryly
funny…There’s no doubt we can all learn a lot from the
magnificently obsessive and eloquent Kells.’
*Australian*
‘With The Library, Stuart Kells has written a deft and involving
book that manages to balance the erudite with the accessible…There
is, in any given chapter, a dozen odd details or compelling stories
a reader can only hope to memorise, with an eye towards future use
(perfectly timed and skilfully deployed, naturally).’
*Monthly*
‘There is so much to learn and enjoy in this book, with the
impressive amount of research never weighing down the accessible
writing…Kells makes an elegant plea for the future library—one that
will resonate with most book lovers.’
*Good Reading *
‘A sprightly cabinet of bookish curiosities.’
*Jane Sullivan, Sydney Morning Herald *
‘Kells proves a generous guide, taking us on a whirlwind tour
through several thousand years of book history.’
*Australian Book Review *
‘I had been half expecting some sort of slide show, featuring
gorgeous libraries of the world, but it’s not that kind of book.
It’s more about the human drama of libraries, with gossip alongside
anecdotes about the history of libraries.’
*ANZ Lit Lovers*
‘[An] entertaining history...full of the delights of well-stocked
Wunderkammer.’
*Spectator*
'With The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders and Shakespeare’s
Library: Unlocking the Greatest Mystery in Literature, Stuart Kells
has achieved a notable double. Both contain much to entertain
anybody interested in books.'
*TLS*
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